Inquest to call Merrill Lynch witness over intern’s death

The long hours worked by interns at City firms is to come under the spotlight at an inquest into the death of a student who is said to have worked for 72 hours non-stop.

Moritz Erhardt collapsed at his east London flat in August as he neared the end of a seven-week internship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

A coroner has decided there will be an inquest and a witness from Merrill Lynch will be asked to give evidence. The inquiry is expected to examine suggestions that Mr Erhardt’s allegedly gruelling office hours were linked to his death.

Friends claim the 21-year-old German had worked a 72-hour shift leading up to his death, stopping only to return to his Bethnal Green flat for a shower. He was found dead there and it is believed he suffered an epileptic seizure

Mary Hassell, coroner for Inner London North, announced there will be an inquest into the death on November 22.

Mr Erhardt studied business administration as an exchange student at the prestigious University of Michigan’s Stephen M Ross school of business before attending WHU Otto Beisheim school of management in Vallendar, Germany. He was due to graduate next year.

He was paid £6,000 for the internship at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, having won one of two placements in the investment banking division in competition with 1,500 other candidates. Earlier this week, Mr Erhardt’s heartbroken family issued a plea for tighter rules to prevent future incidents.

His father Dr Hans-Georg Dieterle, said: “It’s for the [British] Government to look for a solution for rules, for a law which protects employees like there is in Germany. Something needs to change.”